The Star Wars News Roundup – 9.20.13

The purpose of this roundup is to put the highlights of all things Star Wars from the last week in one location. If you read this each week, you should be able to converse fluently with any Star Wars fan on everything from the latest Star Wars: Episode VII developments to the latest toys. And maybe you’ll even share with them something that they might have missed.

Which of the previous Star Wars films best exemplifies what youre aiming to do in terms of the spirit or tone of Episode VII?

“Impossible for me to say because it’s going to be an evolving thing. I would say we are working really hard to make a movie that feels as emotional and authentic and exciting as possible. Whatever your favorite Star Wars movie is and how to compare it is really sort of subjective.”

Media and fans have been offering you a ton of unsolicited advice about to how to approach the film. Is there any particular thing theyve said that youve taken to heart?

“It’s been nice see that how important it is and to be reminded how important it is to so many people. We all know that [creator George Lucas’] dream has become almost a religion to some people. I remember reading a thing somewhere, someone wrote about just wanting [the new film] to feel real; to feel authentic. I remember I felt that way when I was 11 years old when I saw the first one. As much of a fairy tale as it was, it felt real. And to me, that is exactly right.”

A big question for Star Wars fans has been how the books, comics, and games set after “Return of the Jedi” would fit into the carefully crafted continuity set by Lucasfilm over the years. While it looks like Lucasfilm and Disney would be starting a new continuity with “Episode VII,” novel editor Shelly Shapiro seems to indicate that’s the case in an interview with Suvudu:

What kinds of things can we look forward to in the world of Star Wars fiction?

We’ve got the excitement of a whole new Star Wars future unfolding as information about the new movies rolls out, and I anticipate that we will be brimming over with ideas for new fiction tying in to the new continuity both of Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, and of the standalone movies that have been announced. Not to mention the new upcoming REBELS animated series. So lots more novels, more series, more original ebooks and stories

Whether ‘new continuity’ means a full reboot or fitting new elements into the existing continuity remains to be seen. We’ll see what Lucasfilm and Disney have to say. I’m personally in favor of a full reboot as I don’t want to see the filmmakers constrained by every bad comic or novel from the last 30 years.

As expected, Mark Hamill has been training to get into physical shape for ‘Episode VII,” at least according to his good friend Robert Englund. Yes, Freddy Krueger. Comic Book reports from the Nashville Comic Expo:

“Mark nowthey’ve got Mark in the gym, because Mark’s coming back as Luke Skywalker. They’ve got him doing his sit ups,” said Englund.

On the casting rumor front, Latino Review reports that Saoirse Ronan has auditioned for a role in “Episode VII.”

I tried to find out what Ronan went in but they wouldn’t tell me. During the conversation what was very interesting was that there will be a female villain part as well. NOW I’m not saying Ronan went in for that part, for all you know Ronan went in for the Solo daughter.

Latino Review also says that Benedict Cumberbatch is actually in the film after all:

In fact, he will be in all three Star Wars films! It’s all a smoke screen. Folks, remember when Cumberbatch denied being Khan for over a year? Same situation here .

Technically, his part in Episode VII is very small but the role is much bigger in Episode VIII and Episode IX.

Latino Review wasn’t done. They then got word on some more actors who auditioned:

According to sources, The Butlers David Oyelowo went in for some unknown role. But here is the kicker. You know who just went in to meet with JJ Abrams personally? Fruitvale Stations Michael B. Jordan.

(Photos by Getty Images)

Entertainment Weekly caught up with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and asked him about those “Episode VII” casting rumors:

But the 36-year-old actor  who has starred in films like Velvet Goldmine and Match Point and played Henry VIII on Showtime’s The Tudors  brushes off the reports, telling EW that, for the moment at least, the Star Wars speculation is just that. “Look, I’ve worked with J.J.,” says Rhys Meyers, who co-starred in Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III in 2006. “But I don’t believe rumors.”

Check out the link for more comments.

Ewan McGregor continues to happily field questions about “Episode VII” as shown over at Express.co.uk:

“The problem is that I played the young Obi Wan and they are going to be looking for an old Obi Wan and that’s Alec Guinness’s territory,” says Ewan, 42, who insists he’s still harbouring hopes of a return to the franchise made famous by director George Lucas, with original cast members including Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.

“I’m waiting for that call but I think they’re more likely to want an Alec lookalike than me.”

Could he come back as a hologram recording? That would be cool.

OneHeadlightInk.com reports a new rumor that “Episode VII” will be partly filmed in New Mexico. Will it double for Tatooine? Some other planet? We’ll see if this rumor turns out to be true. But Latino Review took it a step further and says filming will take place in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Start getting your telephoto lenses ready.

Seth Green went on Reddit and gave the scoop on the status of “Star wars: Detours”:

So there’s actually been quite a bit of talk about this, but Detours is just on hold currently. We have 39 finished episodes and around 62 finished scripts. But that entire show was created before the decision to make more Star Wars movies, so our show (which was created by George Lucas) is an animated sitcom in the world of Star Wars, so we had a lot of conversations with Kathleen Kennedy about Star Wars in not just the next 3 years but the next 30 years, and when you’re in as privileged a position as we were to be able to work on Star Wars content with its creator, you get a great sense of responsibility to the whole. I was introduced to Star Wars as a child and it was without any ironic or comedic lens, so I saw Darth Vader as scary, and I saw all of those messages very very clearly. We didn’t think it made any sense, in anticipation of these new movies coming out, to spend the next 3 years with an animated sitcom as 3 generations’ of kids first introduction to the Star Wars universe.

I’ve had a lot of parents approach me in the last few years where they showed Robot Chicken or Family Guy Star Wars before they showed them regular Star Wars. The writers on Robot Chicken and I are seeing this a lot. The same way we were introduced to classic music through Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry, kids are taking our ironic interpretations of He-Man or other pop culture icons and never having the opportunity to meet them sincerely. It’s a really bizarre thing to wrap your head around, and because I’ve witnessed it firsthand, it made me more thoughtful about what we were putting it out.

I do feel that Detours is a timeless bit of entertainment. Media distribution is changing so quickly, so dramatically, that can you even imagine what distribution of content will look like in 5 years? In a day and age when Netflix series are nominated for the top accolades TV has to offer, what is to say what it will look like when the new Star Wars movie comes out? So Detours can sit on a shelf until the Star Wars movie comes out without losing any of its lustre, because what we’ve created is very funny, very smart and like I said before, timeless.

The New York Times – This article details the multiple parties vying to build at the Presidio in San Francisco and the difficulties that George Lucas has had with those in charge:

The current Presidio project also involves a high-profile figure: the filmmaker and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, who is one of the finalists. He hopes to build a Beaux-Arts-style museum that would combine 21st-century digital art and what he sees as its 20th-century antecedent: the sprawling collection of book and magazine illustrations he has assembled over four decades. It includes deep holdings of works by Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and other leading figures from America’s golden age of illustration.

The Lucas proposal, which comes with a pledge of $700 million of his own money, has been endorsed by the city’s mayor, Edwin M. Lee. But that does not guarantee its success. In an interview, Mr. Lucas said that the Presidio staff and board had “stalled” for four years on the project and snubbed his taste in architecture as an exercise in mere “mimicking.” Should San Francisco reject his latest proposal, Mr. Lucas is threatening to build his pop-culture palace in Chicago.

ComicBook.com – How Freddy Krueger helped Mark Hamill get the role of Luke Skywalker

“And Mark was on my couch with a Heineken in one hand and a slab of cold pizza in the other. So, I said, Mark, I think you might be right for this Luke Skykwalker,” explained Englund. “He got on the phone and the rest was history.”

Suvudu – Brian Wood Talks Star Wars’ and Why Some Fans Are Angry About His Princess

I like that you’ve portrayed Leia in such an active role. She’s leading an important secret mission and is a seriously skilled pilot. How did you choose to go in this direction?

This has been a source of some minor controversy and some angry emails sent my way, and to be honest it surprised me. I can’t see how anyone can watch those original films and not see a Leia that is not just capable, but totally likely to do everything I have her doing in my series. Look at A New Hope: the first overt action she takes is to shoot a stormtrooper. She goes face to face with Vader and doesn’t blink. She successfully resists torture. She bluffs Tarkin and watches the genocide of her own people as a result. She takes over her own rescue, brandishing a blaster rifle. She helps fly the Falcon. She runs the Yavin mission briefing. What is she, twenty years old?

I wrote what I felt was inside her, based on all that and what she goes on to do in Empire. It just made logical sense, and I was looking for a reason to do it. I felt that, post A New Hope, she was probably hurting the most out of the whole cast, and would therefore be the most gungho to continue the rebellion against the empire.

DATE CHANGE: The enhanced eBooks for @jwrinzler's MAKING OF STAR WARS, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, & RETURN OF THE JEDI will now go on sale 10/22.